Page 52 of Lesson In Trust
“Alicia!”
Blue eyes snapped toward the door, then with surprising speed, she launched herself off the bed, lifting the blanket and diving in beside Callie, flattening herself into the mattress.
“Come hide with me,” she whispered, dragging the blanket over her head. “They won’t finds us in here.”
Little Callie didn’t hesitate, her aches and pains forgotten as she slid further down the bed and copied her new friend.
“Alicia, what did I tell you about disturbing our guest?” The voice was drawing closer, rumbly and deep, like a mountain waking up from a long sleep. “Where—”
“Who’s that?” Callie whispered.
“Shush,” was the reply, followed by an infectious giggle.
She was shocked to discover someone had left her bra and panties on, but the idea of being in bed with a strange woman while naked triggered the silly side of her imagination, pitching her into more giggles.
Between the shushing and laughing, she was taken by surprise when the blanket was yanked away.
A beast of a man towered over the bed, flanked by two more. Her breath caught at the sheer size of him, and then her heart did a weird flippity-flop inside her chest when she realized Evander and Elias were beside him.
“Run!” Alicia shouted, throwing herself off the side of the bed with a howling laugh, and bolting like an Olympic sprinter for the door. She slid over the threshold on socked feet, sailing over the shiny wooden floorboards with a loud whoop of delight.
Slower off the mark, Callie froze for a long moment, her eyes darting between the men. Torn between acting like the adult she was or the child she longed to be, indecision refused to let her claim either role.
Elias jerked his head toward the door, giving her a wink for encouragement.
Warily, she shuffled her way to the edge, keeping her gaze on the unknown quantity in the room—the bearded giant with jungle-green eyes. He watched her curiously as she set her feet carefully on the warm wooden boards, clutching Higgledy-Piggledy to her breasts.
Back to the wall, she skirted her way around the room toward the door, a nervous bunny rabbit locked in the predatory stare of three Alpha wolves.
Grinning, Elias growled playfully, but the noise startled her into running, her bare feet slapping the floor with fastpat-pat-pats.
Alicia had gone to the left; Callie followed.
The unfamiliar house threw her off balance; she didn’t know what door to choose, how far to run down the hallway, where to hide. Adrenaline bubbled in her blood, creating a heady mix of anxiety and anticipation. The primal sense of being hunted felt wrong, and yet so damn exciting.
She continued down the hallway, not needing to look behind her to know her men were on her trail. Their presence was a solid weight at her back, their masculinity a scent on the air.
The double doors at the end of the hall cracked open, and a dark head popped through, followed by a hand. “Hurry! They’re coming!”
With a destination in front of her, Callie ran faster, well aware her butt was wobbling despite her panties. The door swung wide as she reached it, then slammed behind her when she darted over the threshold.
Alicia dragged a chair beneath the handles. “Daddies have magic powers, so we needs to hide.” She grabbed Callie’s hand. “I has the perfect place. No daddies gonna finds us in there.”
She was dragged through a cavernous room filled with everything from a pool table to arcade games, couches to chaise longues. Children’s games, along with a stray sneaker and the tiniest sweater she’d ever seen, were scattered here and there.
“What is this place?”
“Was Daddy’s man cave,” was the breathless reply. “Quick, in here.”
In herewas an oversized blanket box. As Alicia lifted the lid, Callie saw it was half-filled with blankets and pillows. “Um…”
“You says that a lot. You needs to get in.”
The door handle jiggled, then something thumped against the wood.
Hard.
“The magic!” Alicia hissed. She all but shoved Callie into the soft furnishings, then squeezed in beside her, lowering the lid. Pulling a corner of a blanket over the edge, it let a sliver of light and air into their hiding space. “Be quiets!”